Controlling Cattle And Horse Flies: Why It's So Important
There are all kinds of pests in this world. Most of them are annoying to humans, but there are some that are quite bothersome for animals, too. Take flies for instance. There are special subspecies of cattle flies and horse flies. Both are not only an obnoxious nuisance to these animals, but they are also parasitic in more ways than one. Here is why you really have to take all of the necessary pest control options to task to control these two kinds of flies around your ranch.
Cattle Flies Lay Eggs in Cattle Eyes
Cattle flies, or "face flies," bother the cattle's eyes, getting into the corners of the animals' eyes and are impossible for the poor beasts to get rid of because their tails are not that long. Worse still, cattle flies lay eggs in the corners and tear ducts of cattle. When the eggs hatch, the larvae burrow into the tear ducts where they squirm about, surviving on the cattle's tears and causing major eye infections. Then your cattle all have to be treated by a vet for these infections or go blind in the process.
Cattle Flies May Also Cuddle up to Your Eyes
As the story of the woman in Colorado this past week relates, not all cattle flies dive for cattle eyes. Some humans have had the very unpleasant experience of playing host to the cattle fly larvae, and having to pull these worms from their own eyes. When you work around cattle and/or horses all day, you have an increased risk of becoming a host to these pests. If that sounds truly disgusting and unpleasant to you, then pest control is your only escape.
Horse Flies
Horse flies are huge. Horse flies bite. Horse fly bites hurt like the dickens. Worse still, female horse flies have been known to lay eggs on the skin and then the larvae chew through to burrow into the flesh. Eww. You can spray your horses and provide them with edible treats to prevent that, but what about you?
Even though that is incredibly painful and uncomfortable for your horses, it is far worse for you. Like the cattle flies, horse flies may not be all that discriminant in where they lay their eggs either. There is nothing creepier than finding out that horse fly larvae have burrowed into your scalp and that they need to be forcefully pulled from their "air hole" in your head before they can be destroyed. Spray the barn and set horse fly traps, and you should be much better off.
Reach out to professionals at a place like Kettle Moraine Pest Control for more info.